Cable railway



(NoModelJ w M; LEVERING.

CABLE RAILWAY.

No; 319,496. Paten'tedJuneQ, 1 885.

A -25: A Will/I67? i/l/"z fnesses.

NITED STATES PATENT- Qrrrcn. n

\VILLIAM M. LEVERING, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CABLE RAlLWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,496, dated June 9, 1885.

Application filed February 3, 1885,. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. LEVER- ING, .of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Cable Railways; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making apart of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention has relation to cable railways; and it has for its objects to so arrange the relative levels of the slot-irons of a cable railway withrespect to the tram-rails at points where the grip is required to be operated automatically that certain machinery connected with. the grip or car may be operated bya roller or rollers running between or upon such slotirons and in contact or nearly in contact therewith.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 8,, 5, and 7 are cross-sections of cable roads, showing the change in the relative level of the slot-irons'and tram-rails. Figs. 2, 4, 6, and 8 are correspondinglongitudinal sections ofsuch roads, taken through the center of the gripslot at crossing roads, and showing the grips and actuating-rollers. Fig. 9 is a crosssection of a form of a slot-rail used in connection with the permanent way shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

A A are the tram-rails, and B are the slotirons, the general level of which may be the same as the level of the rails A, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, or may be above or below them, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

At or near a crossing, junction, or other place where it is desirable tohave the grip attaching the car to the moving cable let go of such cable, or to have such grip raised or lowered in the tube relative to the tram-rails, I elevate the slot-irons B, as shown by full lines in Figs. 2, 4, and 8, or depress them, as shown by the dot-and-dash lines on the same figures, such elevations B or depressions B being joined to the general levels of the slot-irons by inclined or curved portions B or B.

The inclined portions of the slot-irons B B are shown quite abrupt in inclination on the drawings; but it is my intention to make them of easy ascent and connect them by proper curves to the level portions of the slotirons in such a manner that a roller, 0 or O, or any other attachment to the grip-shank of an advancing car or any attachment to the mechanism which operates the grip of such car may run easily up or down such inclined portions of the slot-irons, and by raising or lowering the gripshank D or bar E, as the case may be, with relation to the tram -rails may give a positive motion for operating the grip. It is obvious that the same eft'ect'viz., a change in the relative level of the roller 0 or O with regard to its supportspvhich are attached directly or indirectly to the wheels running on the tram-rails-may be obtained by raising or depressing the tram-rails themselves and allowing the slot-irons to run past in a straight line, as shown in Fig. 6, where A shows the tram-rail raised above its normal level, and A in dot-and-dash lines the same depressed; or that both tram-rails and slot-irons may be raised or depressed with respect to their normal position in the roadway, or that the tramrailmay be raised at the same place that the the slot-irons are lowered, or vice versa.

By making the raised or depressed portion of the slot-iron or tramrails of considerable length the rollers G and C may be kept at their elevated or depressed position while the car to which they are attached is-moving a considerable distanceas, for instance, over another cable road which is required to be crossed, and such rollers C and G can be made, by the action of suitable mechanism, to positively open and hold open, or positively raise and keep raised, a grip attached to such car.

By using two rollers, O and G, as shown in Figs. 2, at, and 6, or by a single roller, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, playing between the upper and lower flanges of a slot-iron with double in terior flanges, the motion of the bar D or E, to which such rollers are attached, may be made positive and independent of the force of gravity, or of a spring which would otherwise be required to keep the said rollers always in position to come in contact with the slot-iron and allow them to raise and lower when required, at the same time avoiding the danger of failing to operate the mechanism to which they are attached, by reason of the slow ness of action of a weight or sprin It may be found advisable to arrange the vcrate the grip, as such mechanism forms no part of my present invention, and I have reserved the same to form part of the subject of another application for Letters Patent.

I do not limit myself to any particular form of slot-iron, elevated. or depressed with respect to the tram-rails at such points as may be desirable to operate the grip of a car moving on such tram-rails, nor to any particular form of roller or other projection moving on the elevated or'depressed portion of such slotirons, nor to any particular manner of connecting the same to the grip-operating mechanism. Nor do I limit myself to any particular manner of elevating or depressing the slotirons, but may change the shape of such irons for that purpose, or may elevate or depress the entire tube, if desired, or arrange them in any way that the relative level of the slotirons and tram-rails may be changed.

I am aware that a pulley running on a track within the tube of a cable railway and supporting the grip is not new, and that an elevationin such track up which the said pulley runs has been proposed for the purpose of raising such grip over the cable-carrying pulleys of such cable railway, and that an elevation of the tram-rail of such cable railway has been proposed for the purpose of lessening the relative motion of the grip and car. Such is not my invention, and does not accomplish the;

objectswhich I desire to accomplish in my present invention.

I am aware that a cable-conduit has been proposed in which slot-irons have internal flanges on which pulleys run for the purpose of carrying the cable. Such is not my invention, and I do not claim, broadly, the use of slot-irons with internal flanges, in combination with a pulley or pulleys running between them.

I am aware that a block placed upon the road-bed of a cable road, in combination with a lever attached to a car moving on such cable road coming in contact therewith, has been used to obtain a motion for opening, through the medium of springs released bysuch motion, the grip attached to said car. Such is not my invention, and does not accomplish the V objects thereofviz., to obtain a direct and positive motion, which shall open and keep open or raise and keep raised, or both, a grip during the time in which it is moving over a definite space, and, if desired, to positively shut or lower such grip after such space is passed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. At or near the crossing or junction of cable roads, or at other points where it is desirable to operate a grip automatically, the slotirons and rails having their relative elevation with respect to each other changed, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. At or near the crossing or junction of ca ble roads, or at other points where it is desira ble to operate a grip automatically, the slotirons B or B raised or depressed with rela tion to the tram-rail, in combination with the rollers O and O or other attachment to the mechanism operating the grip, or either of 80,

them, for the purpose of obtaining a positive motion for operating the grip attached to a car moving on such roads, substantially as described.

3. In a cable-motor system or conduit, slotirons of a form substantially asshown, having internal flanges, in combination with a roller or rollers or other suitable attachment to the grip-operating mechanism moving with in or between such flanges and slot-irons, and tram-rails arranged at a different height relatively to each other at or near the points where the grip requiresto be operated, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. For the purpose of obtaining a motion for operating the grip attached to a car moving on a cable road, slot-irons and tram-rails,

' both or either of which are raised above or depressed below their normal level, in combination with an attachment to the grip-operat- 7 ing mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM M. LEVERING.

\Vitnesses:

MATT. CLIFTON, GEORGE \V. SELTZER. 

